Weekend Wrap-Up: Lost Luminaries and Last-Minute Deals

It’s that time again, NewsFeeders: your favorite day of the week. While you get back into the swing of things, here’s the news that will guide the conversation this week.

While you were enjoying a taste of spring, NewsFeed was gazing upon it from the office window. But we kept our ears out for the latest news all weekend, and as usual, we’re willing to share.

Let’s Make a Deal: Would we expect anything less from our national government? A few minutes after 11 p.m. Friday, lawmakers reached a deal to avert the much buzzed-about government shutdown. With literally minutes to spare, non-essential federal workers learned they’d be coming in on Monday, and House Republicans and Senate Democrats approved a temporary, one-week extension of the budget bickering that cut $37.8 billion from the federal budget. Republicans gave up their steadfastness on defunding Planned Parenthood as “Americans of different beliefs came together again,” as President Obama proudly said late Friday. (via Politico, Washington Post)

I Am Not A Crook: Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak made his first public announcement since leaving office, claiming that he’s been unfairly portrayed in the media. “I cannot stay silent regarding the incitement campaign against me,” he said on Egyptian state TV. He explained he never had any bank accounts abroad and didn’t obtain any undue assets through his role as president. As Egypt’s public prosecutor scrutinizes the situation, Mubarak vows to defend himself against a campaign of “distortions, lies and incitement.” (via Al Jazeera)

Mad as Hell: It seems we’ve been in mourning a lot lately, particularly for lost Hollywood stars. The latest to pass away is filmmaker Sidney Lumet, director of such classic, acclaimed, Academy Award-winning films as Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men and Network. Lumet garnered four Oscar nods for his gritty films that showed the triumph of the common man. His films displayed the not-so-polished underbelly of New York City with a hefty dose of courage and inspiration for all of us. Time for a movie marathon, anyone? (via TIME)

Monday Must-Read: Money makes the world go round, but no one seems to care about its feelings, right? The lifecycle of currency is actually strikingly slim, with $1 bills having an average run of 3.7 years. Banks send old notes to the Federal Reserve, which takes currency out out of commission automatically by a machine that scans it for scribbles and doodles (you’re not alone at writing on your money!), rips, folds and general dirtiness. Fear not, they just print more (via The Atlantic)

In Case You Missed It on NewsFeed: We always see it in movies, ‘SOS’ scrawled in the sand. Here’s a surprise: not everything you see in movies is fake. Two women stranded on a remote Hawaiian beach took a cue from Hollywood and wrote the three letters in the sand. And in a stroke of luck, a naval flight crew training nearby noticed the distress call and heeded it, coming to the women’s aid. (via NewsFeed)

Viral Video: Oh my! George Takei has made an admirable transition from his super-serious Star Trek role to comedic actor. Something about him just makes us chuckle. Whether it’s his deep voice, his goofy appearance, or just his charming awkwardness, we think Takei would make a swell Spiderman – as he proudly demonstrates for us. Watch out, because we might be seeing Takei on Broadway soon.